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That 3am Phone Call

Regrettably I haven’t weighed in much on the Democratic primary race between Obama and Clinton, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot to say about the subject. As a Brit I don’t get to vote on which President gets to decide on which policies our Prime Minister implements, but for what it’s worth I’m backing Obama.

Like God, I don’t claim to be a conservative or a liberal (but maybe more liberal leaning), so when I vote, it’s usually for who I think will do the least harm, or even just to get the current incumbent out.

Anyone who has been reading my blog for a long time will know my feelings about politics and the current President. I think the Bush administration has done incredible damage to America’s reputation, it’s economy, international relations and of course to citizens in various parts of the Middle East. America is a great nation, but the Bush Administration, especially men like Dick Cheney remind us of how easy it is to turn to the dark side.

That’s why I’m hoping for Obama to win. Not because I think he’s perfect, or that he doesn’t have faults, but it’s that he is promoting hope, change, he’s not resorting to negative campaigning and most importantly he is not relying on the politics of fear. It’s safe to say, that if Obama gets in the we may just see the end of this fallacious and idiotic War on Terror and most certainly the politics of fear.

It’s the politics of fear that were the motivation behind what is becoming known as Clintons’ ‘3am Call’. There’s a phone ringing in the white house, America is under attack again (presumably by motivated by the thoughts of a black Democrat winning) and who do you want to answer that call? Well, it seems like the little (now big) girl whose stock footage was used in that ad wants Obama to be the one answering it:

I’m not even going to comment on the damage that Hillary Clinton is doing to her own party and the Democrats chances of beating the Republicans for the White House. If you want some good commentary then add The Osterley Times to your rss reader.

For both myself and my wife there is something sinister about Hillary Clinton, an insincerity that comes across and is affirmed by her forced smile, her desperation and her rhetoric. In a comment to kel over at The Osterley Times I mentioned that I’d prefer to see McCain in the White House over Clinton. However I certainly don’t see McCain as any better. If McCain becomes President, he’ll make Bush seem like a man of wisdom and integrity. So I guess I’d rather not see McCain or Clinton in the White House, I think I’ll just despair.

Finally, I’m surprised not more people have picked up on this but when I first heard about Hillarys’ 3am Call and the question “Who do you want answering that call?”, the image in my head was not the one of Hillary picking up the phone above, but of this:

So for those that still buy into the politics of fear -and clearly many residents in Texas and Ohio still do- when that 3am call arrives and is picked up, do you want the President to tear up and get emotional or take affirmative action?

One Response to “That 3am Phone Call”

There was a Salvadoran poet, Roque Dalton, who wrote a very funny ironic poem about how the president of his country was less president of his country than (then-president) Lyndon B. Johnson.

And I really loved seeing the counterad, of which I had heard.

My real beef with Clinton is mostly her people, who are also formerly Bill’s. What’s the problem? They’re too clever by half and look the campaign they’ve run. It’s just like the (Bill) Clinton presidency, what did we get besides NAFTA (and a huge job loss) and a national health system that is still nonexistent and a welfare reform that forced mothers of children under the age of 6 to go do the urgent work of flipping burgers. Puh-leeze!